The innovative video design studio Impact Production redefined the stage at the iconic Dubai Frame, transforming this landmark monument into a fully immersive live arena powered by Green Hippo’s Hippotizer Media Servers.
Staged for approximately 500 invited guests and broadcast internationally, the Red Bull Tetris World Final — held over a single night — crowned the world champion of the legendary video game in a setting that fused architecture, scenography and sky.
The main creative challenge was translating the instantly recognizable digital language of Tetris into a dynamic physical environment using LED surfaces, architectural lighting and custom scenic elements.
At the core of the visual system was a Hippotizer Karst+ Media Server, responsible for video playback, live camera integration, LED surface mapping and real-time visual processing.
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Working in conjunction with an Avolites D9 control console and an NDI-based workflow to integrate live video feeds, the Hippotizer Karst+ enabled the Impact team to unify pre-rendered content and live broadcast inputs within a single, cohesive visual architecture.
We used layer blending nodes and real-time effects to manipulate and combine the different visual layers during key moments of the show. The production required extremely fast transitions between competition graphics, live gameplay feeds, stage content and broadcast outputs, all while maintaining complete system stability in an outdoor environment with very limited rehearsal time. Hippotizer’s flexibility allowed us to seamlessly integrate both pre-rendered content and live video feeds. In addition, its real-time processing power and reliability were essential for managing live inputs, timecoded sequences and adaptive visual layers, even under highly demanding technical conditions, explains Eriny Aziz, Media Server Programmer at Impact Production.
Impact Production, contracted directly by Red Bull UAE, led the creative and technical direction of the project, including lighting design, LED screen integration, media playback systems and architectural illumination. The team delivered lighting design and installation, LED system design and integration, façade and entrance lighting for the Dubai Frame, full broadcast lighting, performer lighting — including a live orchestra and DJ El Wailly — timecoded lighting sequences throughout the competition and control of custom Tetromino lighting panels embedded in the stage.
“The Tetromino lighting panels were integrated into the stage design and programmed into timecoded sequences, interacting directly with gameplay and performance cues”, adds Aziz. “As the competition progressed, the lighting narrative evolved in sync, dissolving the boundary between the digital interface and the physical scenography”.
Previsualization and lighting simulations were developed using SketchUp and L8, allowing the team to refine both creative intent and technical execution before load-in at the architecturally complex venue.
“Delivering a broadcast-grade outdoor production inside the Dubai Frame presented significant challenges”, explains Aziz. “The stage required lighting fixtures to be installed on a layered structure reaching approximately nine meters high, adding complexity to rigging, focus and maintenance. Additionally, the Frame’s architecture restricted conventional lighting positions, demanding precise planning and inventive fixture placement”.
Despite these constraints, the team achieved broadcast-quality lighting and video performance while preserving the architectural integrity of the landmark.
Hippotizer’s powerful processing engine and dependable output architecture were instrumental in maintaining system stability across live camera inputs, timecoded sequences and mapped LED surfaces, all within an outdoor environment.
The show’s defining moment came during the competition’s climax, when timecoded lighting and video escalated across the stage and structure before seamlessly transitioning to a drone recreation of Tetris above the Dubai Frame.
The visual continuity between stage content, architectural illumination and aerial choreography delivered a cohesive and high-impact experience for both the live audience and viewers of the global broadcast.
The production’s creative direction was led by Impact Production’s Giulia Marocchino and Luca Taschini, with Jean William serving as Technical Director and Lighting Designer.
